The U.S. Department of Labor has recently announced the 5th annual National Apprenticeship Week, which will take place November 11-17, to showcase the positive impact apprenticeship programs have on addressing the U.S. skills gap and preparing the American workforce for the jobs of today and tomorrow. In celebration of this, USCIB has been featuring case studies of members making an impact in the re-skilling and re-training the workforce as part of the White House Pledge to America’s Workers.
This week, we’re featuring Walmart, which is empowering its employees with the skills, confidence and the technology they need to serve customers and their own careers—whether they choose to stay in retail or take their skills to a different field.
Walmart is accomplishing this, in part, through the Walmart Academy training program, which has completed more than 800,000 trainings since the academy opened in 2016. When signing the pledge Walmart stated that their commitment would be partly determined by completion of its internal training programs, including the Academy program, which provides focused training for their associates, both hourly and salaried, through classroom and on-the-sales-floor exercises and tailored integration of technology. Walmart provides instructor-led training, web-based training and virtual reality training.
Last year, Walmart introduced Virtual Reality (VR) to the world of employee training and development by using the technology to upgrade training at Walmart Academies nationwide. With the huge success of that program, the company is now providing Oculus VR headsets to all stores in the U.S. to bring the same level of training to its more than 1 million Walmart associates.
Additionally, Walmart launched the Live Better U program, which provides access to debt-free, in-demand college degree and professional certification programs from nonprofit universities in the fields of technology, business, and supply chain management. Associates can earn college credit for training they receive on the job through our Academies. The Live Better U program also provides high school completion at no charge and college prep courses that translate into credit towards a degree. Since the program launched last summer, more than 13,000 associates have been accepted into the program in all 50 states. Within the first year, students had earned more than 30,000 college credits valued at more than $17.5 million.
For more information on Walmart’s pledge, please read this piece written by Walmart’s Executive Vice President of People, Julie Murphy.
See here for other spotlights:
Salesforce, the global leader in Customer Relationship Management (CRM) focused on bringing companies closer to their customers in the digital age.
Scientific assessment, policy dialogue and assessment all need to integrate business expertise and views on a more systematic basis at international, national and local levels. The private sector brings important experience and knowledge to deliver the 2030 Agenda; it is in the DNA of business to turn challenges into opportunities and to innovate and develop practical and realistic solutions for the problems we face together. Recent examples of this business commitment and action will be highlighted at the September 25 SDG Business Forum, organized by ICC with the UN GC, the International Organization of Employers and the UN, and can be found on USCIB’s 
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USCIB Vice President for Investment Policy Shaun Donnelly was one of two private sector investment policy experts invited to join a September 10 U.S. government interagency team meeting with a delegation of economic policy experts from the African Union (AU) Commission staff.
